Kolkata smokes most cigarettes: Survey

With a person in Kolkata on an average smoking 9-10 cigarettes per day, the city has recorded the highest cigarette consumption in India, a survey report released Thursday said.

It said that the frequency of tobacco consumption is the highest in Kolkata among the cities. A Mumbaikar, for example, consumes 6-7 cigarettes a day.

According to the ‘ICICI Lombard Tobacco Consumption Habits 2014’ survey, 44 per cent respondents in Kolkata reported an increase in their cigarette consumption in the last 2-3 years and the weekly spend on cigarettes is Rs 348.

“Smoking cigarettes is perceived to be relieving stress by most of the respondents. Also Kolkata respondents smoke mostly during and post work hours,” it said.

Asked about the awareness of ill-effects of consuming tobacco, 93 per cent of the respondents said that they knew that smoking or chewing tobacco caused lung, mouth or throat cancer.

Interestingly, however, an alarming 94 per cent of respondents in the city have never tried to quit smoking and 64 per cent do not have a health insurance policy.

The national survey, conducted in association with GfK Mode, covered all four regions represented by Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Hyderabad, with a sample size of 1,111 respondents.